McCook

History

McCook was named for John J. McCook, a late 19th-century director of the Santa Fe Railroad and a former Civil War officer. McCook station was served by the railroad in the town. The Outlaws Motorcycle Club was established in McCook in 1935 when Old Route 66 passed through the town. In 1958, six people were killed in an explosion at a Reynolds Metals plant. In 1995, the former Universal Oil Products Riverside Laboratory in McCook was awarded with National Historic Chemical Landmark status. In October 2019 the village offices where raided by the FBI in search of evidence that the village willingly conducted business with contractors they knew to be fronts for Mike Madigan's racketeering operation. In exchange Madigan killed a bill that would've blocked sitting mayors from serving on the Cook County Board of Commissioners in order that McCook's mayor Jeff Tobolski could keep his office. McCook offered to become the site of a new stadium for the Chicago Bears in 2026. The village's mayor Terrance Carr submitted a formal proposal to the Bears to construct a new stadium and entertainment district on a former quarry to the bemusement of the nearly 250 residents. The proposal would have been entirely financed by a private developer Carr refused to disclose. In April 2026 Carr was elected chairman of the Cook County Republican Party.

Geography

McCook is located at (41.798542, -87.832432). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, McCook has a total area of , of which (or 99.20%) is land and (or 0.80%) is water. McCook is home to a small population but a large amount of heavy industry, resulting in a large tax base.

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  83,881
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  73,580
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  69,685
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  59,224
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,447
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  50,388
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  49,168
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  49,073

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois